Hand-lever for riding-cultivators.



W. E. JOHNSON.

HAND LEVER FOR RIDING GULTIVATORS. APPLICATION FILED JAILZB, 1907.

903,139. Patented Nov. 3.1908.

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W. E. JOHNSON. HAND LEVER FOR RIDING ,GIULTIVATORS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. ZB,1907.

903, 1 39. Patented. Nov. 3,1908.

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lllllllll- WILLIAM E. JOHNSON, OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO ROCK ISLAND PLOW COMPANY, OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS,'A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HAND-LEVER FOB RIDING-CULTIVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Rock Island, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand-Levers for Riding-Cultivators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hand levers for riding cultivators of that particular type in which the shovel gangs are raised and lowered by means of hand levers, and in which the depth at which the shovels operate is varied by means of interlocking connections between the said hand levers and the swinging racks or segments to which are connected the springs that are employed for assisting in raising the shovel gangs, as well as for holding the gangs out of the ground.

In a cultivator of this character, it has been found that if the operator inadvertently releases the racks from the levers while the said racks or segments are in an intermediate osition, the sudden jerk of the springs will t en throw the released racks or segments forward suddenly and with consider able force. This may not only prove injurious to the structure of the cultivator, but is also calculated to annoy the o erator.

Generally stated, therefore, the o ject of my present invention is the provision of an arrangement that will prevent the racks from being released from the hand levers while in intermediate ositions, and which will permit of such re ease only when the racks are in their extreme forward or rearward positions, thus precluding all danger of these racks or segments being suddenly jerked into their forward positions by the tension of the strong springs which not only assist to some extent in the final lifting ofthe shovel gangs, but which also serve to yieldingly hold the said gangs in their elevated or raised positions.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a cultivator, hand lever, lifting arrangement embodying the rinciples of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a hand lever and its pivoted segment or rack in an intermediate position. Fig. 4 is a similar View showing the hand lever and its segment or rack swung back to the extreme rearward position thereof. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the mechanism and construction shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the hand lever and its segment or rack somewhat farther to the front. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail section on line 77 in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail section on line 88 in Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a detailed perspective view of the latch employed for preventing an unlocking of the hand lever while its rack or segment is in an intermediate position.

As thus illustrated, the side or frame-bar A is secured to the casting B which has an upwardly extending ear or bracket 1). It will be seen that this ear or bracket 1) is provided with a curved or hook-shaped portion 12 The hand lever C is pivotally mounted upon the bolt 0 and provided with a short arm 0 This bolt extends through the ear or bracket 1), and serves also to support the rocking or pivoted rack orsegment D. It will be seen that the lever has a locking bolt 0 which is suitably connected with and operated by a hand piece 0 The said looking bolt is adapted to engage any one of the notches d in the said rack or segment, whereby the said lever may be locked in various positions relatively to the said rack or segment. The latch or locking device E is pivoted to the rack or segment at c and provided with a lateral end-portion e adapted to engage the outer edge of the portion 12 The other end-portion e of said latch is connected by a rod 6 with the projectin outer endportion of the locking bolt 0 n this way, the said locking bolt cannot be Withdrawn from one of the notches d without tilting the latch E about its pivotal point c. It will be seen that the tilting of the said latch E cannot occur except when the rack or segment B is in the position shown in Fig. 6, or in the position shown in Fig. 4, owing to the formation of the outer edge of the portion 6 Consequently, the lever cannot be released from the said rack or segment at any intermediate position of the latter.

The lever and rack or segment are thrown into the position indicated in Fig. 6 to lower the shovel gang, and to the position shown in Fig. 4 to maintain the shovel gang in an elevated position. The rod F connects the lever arm 0 with the means for lifting the shovel gang, and the curved link G connects the rack or segment with the spring H, which latter has its forward end connected with some suitable portion of the cultivator frame. The point 9 at which the said link G connects with the said rack or segment is below the center in Fig. 4, and consequently the spring H tends to hold the shovel gang out of the ground. Should the hand lever be released from the rack or segment while in this position, the tension of the spring cannot jerk the rack or segment forward. On the other hand, when the lever is thrown to the position shown in Fig. 6, the rack or segment is then nearing its extreme forward position,

and hence a releasing of the lever at this.

time would not result in an undesirable and violent jerking'forward of the said rack or se ment by the tension of the spring. In other words, the relation of the lever to the segment can only be changed or varied when the latter is at its extreme forward or rearward osition, and in either case the unlocking of the hand lever from the rack or segment cannot result in a sudden jerking forward of the latter. In this way, I have remedied a difficulty which has heretofore given the driver or operator considerable annoyance and trouble.

What I claim as my invention is:

1., In a device of the class described, a pivoted rack, a hand lever, means for lockin the hand lever in different positions relative y to the said rack or segment, a spring hitched to the rack or segment, and means for locking the said rack or segment against disconnection from the said lever While the rack or segment is in an intermediate position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hand lever, a pivoted rack or segment, means on the saidlever for looking the same in different positions relatively to the said rack or segment, a spring to the forward pull of which the said rack or segment is subject, a latch connected to hold the locking means on the lever in engagement with the said rack or'segment,and a stationary portion adapted to engage said latch to prevent unlocking of the lever except when the said rack or segment is in its forward or rearward position.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hand lever, a pivoted rack or segment, means on the hand lever for locking the same in difierent positions rela tively to the said rack or segment, a spring exerting a pull on said rack or segment, and means for preventing unlocking of the lever before the rack or segment reaches a position of rest under the tension of the s ring.

Si ned by me at Rock Island, llinois, this 5th ay of January, 1907.

WILLIAM E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

H. DETJENS, A. B. FRENIER. 

